The ferocious-looking Green Lynx Spider pounces on its insect prey, using camouflage to ensure a catch.

As its name might suggest, the Green Lynx Spider is a bright green spider of the Lynx spider family. Appearing an almost leaf-greenish shade, the species is further complimented by orange on the legs and black dots on a gray coloring as well. The abdomen contains chevron-looking shapes to further distinguish the species. All eight legs are covered in spines, or spikes. Lynx spiders, like the feline namesake, are able to jump a distance in order to capture insect prey. They do not spin webs for ensnaring it. They do, however, use a silk dragline to catch something at a distance and bring it closer to itself. As with other species of spider, the female is larger than the male.

Natural environments for the Green Lynx Spider includes open fields, especially those with tall, grassy surroundings. Females will attach fertilized eggs in a silken sac to these tall, reedy grasses. The egg sac may look more like a tiny, smashed golf ball with spiky parts poking out, not a smooth sphere. The mother will guard her egg sac until the spiderlings hatch and immediately start hunting for their first meals.

Green Lynx Spiders are traditionally found in southern states and are also a common sight throughout Mexico.

Basic Information

Common Name: Green Lynx Spider

Other Name(s): Lynx Spider

Scientific Name:Peucetia viridans

Category: Spider

General Identification

Size (Adult; Length): 12mm to 16mm (0.47in to 0.62in)

Identifying Colors: green, white, yellow, black, orange

Additional Descriptors: spikes, hair, lime, pattern, biting

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Arachnida

Order:Araneae

Family:Oxyopidae

Genus:Peucetia

Species:viridans

Spider Anatomy (Typical)

1

Legs: Spiders have four pairs of legs and these are attached to the cephalothorax.

2

Pedipalps: Small appendages near the mouth used as taste and smell organs.

3

Cephalothorax: Contains eyes, head, mouthparts, and legs.

4

Abdomen: Contains various organs related to digestion, reproduction, and web-making.

5

Spinnerets: Used in the production of spider silk for fashioning webs or catching prey.

NOTE: Unlike insects, spiders have both an endoskeleton (internal) and exoskeleton (external).

Territorial Reach (A-to-Z)

Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed below as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections below indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.

The map below showcases (in red) the states and territories of North America where the Green Lynx Spider may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data can be useful in seeing concentrations of a particular species over the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some species are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America.